Alayne Gray
Alayne Gray 'is a sweet, mild mannered young noble lady with a lot of spirit and a surprisingly adventurous streak. She is the betrothed of 'Benfry Lancaster . Personality Lady Alayne Gray, known more simply to her friends as Alayne, is a sweet, mild mannered young lady whose poise and good manners sometimes hide her truly vibrant, exciteable spirit. Raised in the caste of nobility, Alayne possesses all of the grace and eloquence that her caste affords and she is extremely well versed in a number of subjects, ranging from the complex history of the Nobility to Nature and nearly everything inbetween. Even with this excpeitonal education, Alayne's heart was never as taken with the finer details of her academic subjects as it was with the ever colorful, romantic and daring stories of the heroes that she loved so well. A passionate, romantic person with a tendency to walk with her head in the clouds, Alayne grew up meditating upon these and other stories, coloring her perception of the world as a beautiful place where heroes always meet their true loves and good always triumphs over evil. Though many would describe Alayne's optimism and innocence as mere naivete and, perhaps, a direct result of her rather sheltered youth, this assertion is a tenuous one at best, especially as Alayne has managed to retain her optimism and unnerring belief in goodness in spite of the many horrors she's witnessed. With her unflinching faith in the genuine goodness in the world around her, it is difficult for Alayne to concentrate on any of that; especially when there are just too many beautiful, good things in the world to take up her attention. Of course, as Alayne tends to find beauty and goodness in even the smallest things (such as the various flowers, animals and travelers that she and her friends meet upon the road), it is no wonder that she has managed to keep her rose colored view of the world intact. A trusting person who prefers to believe the best in people, Alayne sometimes butts heads with some of the more jaded, bitter members of her group as many of them tend to view her tendency to take people at their word as a dangerous habit. In spite of this and several unfortunate encounters with people that she has chosen to give her trust (despite the protests of her allies), Alayne remains stubbornly adament in her ways and its clear that she won't be changing anytime soon. A gentle spirit with a profound love for nature, Alayne prefers to spend her time riding horses and picking wildflowers to fighting and she takes no joy in taking a life, no matter how heinous the villain or foe she's fighting. Instead, Alayne prefers to show those who fall on the other side of one of her bows or spells mercy and she believes very strongly in the tenets of justice. Even so, Alayne is not above taking a life when necessary as she understands that it is the only way to stop some evil creatures from commiting more evil. This perception, though shaped in large by the views of the heroes and knights in shining armor that colored the pages of so many of the stories she was raised with, was even further molded by the chivelrous model of behavior that Alayne saw in both her eldest brother and Father. Furthermore, as both of the men she looked up to were strong proponents of the age old addage "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", Alayne does believe in vengeance, so long as that vengeance is just. Ultimately, when dealing with such delicate issues, Alayne tends to adhere closely to The Code of Chivalry, referring to these ancient tenants as guidelines for justice and goodness. More than this, however, Alayne follows her heart and as such, she is not always above breaking the tenants that she follows so carefully, especially if she believes it is the right the thing to do. Optimistic to a fault, Alayne is usually the first of her friends to find a silver lining in an otherwise bleak situation and she is also usually the last to give into despair. Instead, Alayne seems to take great comfort in her faith that the Gods are watching over her and her friends, guiding them in times of distress and protecting them from harm. Alayne takes great comfort from her faith and an even greater comfort in sharing the comfort she receives from it, lending her to often guide her friends in prayer or to otherwise encourage them to turn to the Gods. In a world where many have lost faith in the Gods altogether, this unflinching conviction seems strange to many, but for Alayne, it's only sensible. Not only was she chosen by Ehlonna, after all, but she has spoken with the Goddess on several seperate occasions, giving her not only the confidence but the knowledge that the Gods are, in fact, looking out for everyone. In spite of this knowledge, Alayne can sometimes become sensitive when others fail to believe her and she is sometimes painfully aware of the fact that her friends don't understand how real her experience was. This has never deterred Alayne, however, as though her friends' cynicism sometimes pains her, she has never given up faith that they will one day find a reason to believe once again. An extremely passionate person with a tendency to color the world with romance and beauty, Alayne has always believed in the power of true love and the validity of soul mates. Ever hopeful that her knight in shining armor would one day scale the tallest tower of her castle to come and rescue her (usually from a terrible dragon, in most scenarios), Alayne grew up with an undeterred faith that she would meet and marry her true love; and that he would be fair as an elf with golden hair, blue eyes and a long white cloak to complete the ensemble. After meeting her betrothed, a man who (on the surface, at least) seemed to meet all of her requirements, Alayne was horror stricken to discover that beneath this beauty, there was only a monster; a lesson that she would be doomed to learn in her travels as she came to discover that sometimes those with the fairest complexions could be the foulest at heart. In spite of this, Alayne clung desperately to the hope that she would one day find her true love all the same and if her spirits were ever dampened by the obstacles she was met with, they were never dampened for long. Instead, Alayne preferred to while away her time, singing songs of true love and comforting herself with all the stories that she remembered. The only thing that began to change for Alayne was her perception, for as the world opened up around her, she began to discover the beauty in things that she hadn't noticed before; leading her heart to discover true love in what previously seemed an unlikely place. Unfortunately, for many years, this more passionate side of Alayne was forced to remain largely obscured by the air of reserve, grace and formality that she bore; all things which were a direct result of her training as a young noble lady. A naturally affectionate, playful person with a propsenity for never staying put and asking questions, Alayne was often scolded and reprimanded in her youth and, as the importance of honor and duty were imparted upon her, she eventually grew to veil such tendencies behind a wall of good manners. In spite of this, Alayne's passion and spirit were never truly lost and as she's spent more and more time in the world outside of the confines of her castle walls, this side of her has began to re-awaken. Due to this, Alayne has become more and more affectionate with her friends; often hugging them, kising them on the cheeks or taking their hands when they're distressed. Another result of her newfound freedom is her propsenity of asking questions and requesting stories of nearly everyone that she meets as she is endlessly fascinated with the tales of adventures that many of her more worldly allies have to offer. Another facet of Alayne's person (and one which has slowly begun to reveal itself more and more) is her exciteable, adventurous spirit which ever thirsts for new experiences, places and people. Though seemingly content throughout the majority of her youth to play the part of a proper noble lady, Alayne's heart always held an undeniable, unquenchable thirst to see the world and to meet all of the fascinating creatures, monsters and people that inhabited it. When talking about such subjects or, better yet, when venturing to a new town or meeting new people, Alayne comes alive and its very difficult (read, nearly impossible) to keep her back from stopping at every vendor or shaking the hand of every person who crosses her path. Having lived her entire life largely confined to the towers of her castle, Alayne seems to find everything and everyone she encounters extremely fascinating and she especially thrills in meeting exotic people from faraway lands. History Alayne Gray was born on the 17th Cuthass in the year 4690 CR to Contessa Lady Donna Gray and Count Eldin Gray of Castle Graywatch. Born into a world of perpetual winter, Alayne spent many of her formative years wandering the sleepy, white landscape of her home with her half-elf Brother; picking wildflowers, building snow forts, exploring and, above all; making games out of the long, dreary afternoons. Always under the supervision of the castle's staff, Alayne was never without something to do or someone to entertain her and when she wasn't spending time with her brother or following around any one of the servents or her Father's many visitors, then she was often found employed with her studies. Raised in the caste of nobility, Alayne was taught from an early age a wide array of activities and past-times; including horsemanship, archery, needlework and singing. Of course, the Winters at Castle Greywatch were harsh and often unbearable and even with her seeming invulnerability to her climate's harsher weather, there were days when Alayne would be forced to while away her time inside all the same. During such occasions, wrapped in a fur cloak, she would sit by the fire while Maester Seymore or Mrs. Morgan recounted patiently to her all of the stories that they knew; stories which always mesmerized Alayne and it wasn't long before she had the great majority of them memorized by heart. Inspired by the heroic tales of brave knights fightings against terrible monsters for their true loves, Alayne would often recount and relive these epic stories with her brother; oftentimes burying herself in a snowfort and having her brother (posed a great knight) come and rescue her from the dragon besieging her. It was during one such time, when she was nine years old, that Alayne tore one of her finer gowns at play; an incident which caught her Lady Mother's attention, leading her to ground Alayne to the castle for over a month. During this time it was stressed to her the importance of behaving in a lady like fashion fit to bring honor to her name and family, something which caused Alayne to feel ashamed of her playful expeditions. Even more, as Lady Donna had grown increasingly concerned about Alayne's desires to travel, she also began to stress to Alayne the importance of home and duty above all things and this included Alayne's dream of seeing the world. The real punishment, however, was that she was forbidden from seeing her brother throughout the duraition of this time and, even after her punishment was over, it was a rare occasion that Alayne was ever allowed to spend unfettered time with him again. Instead, as Alayne's studies became more and more involved, she found the company of her brother replaced largey by Maester Seymore, Mrs. Morgan and her knight protector, Sir Heinrik (who had become her personal guard shortly after the incident of her torn dress). During this time, as Alayne began to grow, she became increasingly self conscious about her height and it wasn't long before she stood at least a head taller over all of the ladies in the court. As this became a point of concern for Lady Donna, who feared that her daughter might not find a suitable match if she continued to grow in height, Alayne became embarrassed and took to only wearing slippers or other shoes specially designed to be flat at their bottoms (so as not to add any more to her problem. Outside of this, though Alayne did continue to secretly long for the thrill and excitement of the world around her, she was largely content in her home; her greatest sadness being only the loneliness that she often felt within the confines of Castle Greywatch and the pain she felt at missing the company of her half brother. Occasionally, these periods of solitude would be interrupted by the company of her eldest brother; a Knight whom was usually occupied with patrolling the lands and ensuring her Father's peace. During the time she had with him, Alayne doted on and admired her brother, seeing him as a paradigm of chivalrousness and knight-hood. She and her half brother, however, were never able to share the same closeness again; a point which Alayne had difficulty coping with. In spite of this, Alayne grew up an optimistic person whose desire for adventures and epic romance were never far beneath the surface of her poised, graceful manners and reserve. Ever dutiful to her family and loyal to her house, Alayne waited patiently, all the same, for the day that her dreams might come true; never daring to believe the adventures she would have, the monsters she would face or the true love that she would one day find. Notable Accomplishments *Departed from Ostagar with Hector Leaf, Benfry Lancaster and Sir Heinrik Fassbender (S01C01) *Fought the Bloodtusk Tribe of Orcs in the''' Abandoned Fort''' (S01C02) *Accepted her destiny as a cleric of Ehlonna (S01C03) '' *Descended into the tomb of '''Aegon Stannis' and retrieved his Lost Chalice. (S01C04) '' *Freed '''Eddard Tarly' (S01C04) '' *Drove the '''White Cloaked' cult of Tiamat from their Windmill Hideout. (S01C07) '' *Rescued the Arl's Children ''(S01C07) '' *Served as Co-Commander alongside Benfry in the '''Battle of West Hill' (S01C07) '' *Stopped the '''Malachite Ring' slave trade in the Underdark beneath Victoria'' (S01C12) '' *Participated in the victory of The Rite of the One Eye ''(S01C14) '' Notable Victories *Orc General (S01C03) '' *Throkk (S01C07) '' *Sar'n (S01C07) '' *Minotaur (S01C12)'' *Maeluth (S01C12) '' *Kazmojen (S01C12) '' Relationships With Others A sweet person with mild manners, grace and an overall sweet disposition, Alayne tends to get along well with others and she excels in area of diplomacy. Despite initially hiding behing a wall of reserve and poise, Alayne has gradually become more and more familiar and even casual with the people that she meets, lending her a propensity for making friends and allies wherever she goes. Alayne's f'amily', though ever dutiful and attentive to the affairs of its household and all things concerning its name, rarely deigned to show such attention to its own members and it showned even less affection. Though not cold or callous towards their children, Count Elwyn and Contessa Donna were certainlly never overly affectionate with their children, something that led to Alayne having a somewhat distant relationship with both of them. In contrast, Alayne was largely raised by the family's servants, namely Mrs. Morgan, Maester Seymore and Sir Heinrik and it was from these that Alayne not only learned her duties as a lady, but she also learned about the world outside of her castle walls. Sir Heinrik, a dour, somewhat stern knight is Alayne's protector and bodyguard; a station he has maintained since Alayne was nine years old. Whenever Alayne left from one end of the castle to another or whenever she left for horseback rides or the rare trips into town, Sir Heinrik was never far out of sight and, during the time they spent together, Alayne became very attached to her Knight. having known Sir Heinrik for nearly her entire life, Alayne trusts him explicitly and she is usually content to defer to his judgment in most cases. In sptie of this, the two have been known to butt heads before, especially when it comes to the people Alayne chooses to put her faith and trust in. During such times, Alayne may disagree with her stern protector, but she also respects and loves him a great deal, seeing him as more than her bodyguard, but also her friend and guardian. Hector Leaf, a half elf and the illegitmate son of her Father is not only Alayne's half brother, but he's also her best friend. Having been born a year apart, Alayne grew up alongside Hector and she was always extremely close to him. As children, the two were never far apart, though owing to an incident involving Alayne's torn gown and her Mother's fear of the sort of influence her half brother was having on her, this began to change as the two grew older. Indeed, by the time Alayne left Castle Greywatch, the two barely saw each other outside of the occasions where they passed one another in the hall and the rapport they shared, though strong, was only a shadow of the closeness they once shared. After going on the road with her brohter, this slowly began to change and as Alayne began to find more and more of the person that she was, so did she begin to re-discover the very deep bond she shares with her brother. Benfry Lancaster, a sorcerer and the younger brother of Tyberius Lancaster is the person Alayne is willingly betrothed to and her self described true love. Though initially only friends with the bookish sorcerer, Alayne came to see him differently during their time on the road together and after the battle she fought at his side in West Hill, she began to recognize the start of her romantic affections for him. Unfortunately, these affections were initially subdued thanks to the combined efforts of her brother and the confusion she faced concerning her own feelings for Tarly, though even these couldn't hold her back once she discovered the extent of his own affections for her. Alayne has only begun courting Benfry, but she loves him truly and deeply with all of her heart and soul. She sees in Benfry everything that she has ever dreamed for and everything she ever waited for and she wouldn't hesitate to call him her soul mate. Powers And Abilities As a Scion of Ehlonna, Alayne posseses a number of abilities. By praying every morning to Ehlonna, she gains access to these abilities which the Goddess bestows upon her as she deems fit. *'Calm Animals:' Due to her natural affinity for animals, Alayne has the ability to calm sentient, intelligent creatures using her divine abilities. Creatures under this effect are less inclined to flee. *'Hold Animal:' Alayne can also paralyze an animal, forcing it to remain in place. *'Protection from Evil:' Another benefit to her connection with Ehlonna, Alayne is naturally resistent to evil creatures that try to attack. She can also bestow this ability upon her allies. *'Align Weapon:' By touching a weapon and channeling the blessings of her Goddess, Alayne can turn a weapon into a 'good' aligned weapon, causing it to be more effective against evil or undead foes. *'Heaven's Teardrop: '''Alayne can call down drops of sheer radiant energy, burning and stunning her foes. This ability is especially potent against evil or undead creatures. *'Create Water: Alayne can call upon her connection to Ehlonna in order to create water. *'''Stabalize: By touching a dying person, Alayne can instantly stabalize them, bringing them into a neutral state. *'Discern Health: '''Alayne can also intuit the health and well being of the people that she chooses. *'Ray of Light: Channeling the divine goodness of her diety, Alayne can also call upon a ray of light which can serve to stun evil or undead foes. *'''Light: By touching an object, Alayne can imbibe that object with light that acts as a sort of torch, guiding her and her allies in the dark. *'Cure Wounds:' Perhaps her strongest ability and the one she can access any day, Alayne has the ability to heal her allies of even the most serious of injuries. *'Summon Monster:' Another boon to her natural affinity for animals, Alayne also has a divine connection to certain extraplanar creatures who will fight for her when summoned. The animals she can summon thus far include: Dire Rats, Dogs, Dolphins, Eagles, Fire Beatles, Poisonous Frogs, Ponies, Vipers, Giant Worker Ants, Small Elementals, Giant Centipedes, Giant Frogs, Giant Spiders, Horses, Hyenas, Octopus, Squid, Wolf, Elk, Grik, Reef Claws, Venemous Snakes, Giant Soldier Ants, Apes, Aurochs, Boars, Cheetahs, Constricter Snakes, Dire Bats, Electric Eels, Lantern Archons, Leopards, Moniter Lizards, Sharks, Wolverines, Blink Dogs, Desoi Psychopomps and Silvanshee Agathions. '' *'Bless: Alayne can call upon divine energy to bless herself and her allies, allowing them to fight more ablely and protecting them from fear. *'Bane: '''Alternatively, Alayne can call judgement down upon her enemies, causing them to falter. *'Scourge: Alayne can call upon radiant energy and channel it, turning it into a weapon against her foes. *'Light of Mercuria:' A more potent version of Scourage, Alayne can call upon an even greater amount of divine energy; using it to either imbibe herself with a radiant light that makes it more difficult for evil or undead foes to enter within a certain radius or channeling it into a weaponized arc of light. *'Shield Others: '''Using her connection to Ehlonna, Alayne can channel positive energy around her allies; shielding one designated target from half the damage sustained from an injury while she takes the other half. *'Spear of Purity: Alayne can call upon divine energy which takes the form of a spear of pure, radiant light. Wielded against undead or evil creatures, the weapon is extremely powerful and is still considerably formiddable against neutrally aligned creatures. This weapon has no effect upon good creatures. *'Compassionate Ally: '''Alayne can utilize her divine connection in order to temporarily enchant a person into helping a target which she designates. *'Dominate Animal: 'Furthermore, Alayne can temporarily take over the mind of an animal, so that it might do her bidding. *'Magic Circle Against Evil: 'Alayne can channel her divine energy into a protective cirlce which protects her and her allies from evil or undead creatures. Alternatively, this circle can also be used in order to trap such enemies, preventing their escape unless they find a way to break the circle. If she spends more time on creating a diagram, Alayne can make this circle even more impregnable. *'Beast's Curse: '''Alayne can curse a target of her choosing, causing animals to attack whenever the target comes within a certain vicintiy. This curse cannot be dispelled and is permanent without a '''Remove Curse spell. Aside from her abilities as a cleric, Alayne also posseses several other useful abilities. *'Archery:' Due to her practice and experience with the bow and arrow, Alayne is a fairly formideable archer. *'Educated: '''Due to her education as a young noble lady, Alayne is extremely knowledgeable and well versed on a number of subjects, including: History, Local Customs, Nobility and Relgion. She is also well read in many general academic subjects. *'Singer: Alayne is a naturally talented singer with experience performing in front of others. Paraphernelia Alayne posseses a number of useful items and other equipment which aids her in her many adventures. Equipment *'''Bag of Holding: Alayne carries with her at all times a magical bag, enchanted to be able to hold an infinte amount of materials while remaining only ten pounds. *'Longbow of Ehlonna: '''Blessed by a Priest of Ehlonna, Alayne's Longbow is an especially formiddable weapon, complete with an enchanted quiver. *'Elvish Cloak:' Made of the finest elvish silk, Alayne's cloak helps her exist comfortably in whatever climate she's in while also providing her with the ability to blend into her surroundings. *'Cloak of Resistance: Alayne also posseses an enchanted Cloak of Resistance, providing her with the ability to more abely resist certain effects. *'Masterwork Studded Armor: '''Alayne posseses masterwork studded armor of elvish make, providing her with protection in combat. *'Holy Staff: 'A powerful tool, Alayne's holy staff is charged with a number of spells which she can dispense with focus. Among the spells she can cast using her holy staff are: ''Align Weapon, Detect Evil, Holy Smite and Magic Circle against Evil. ''Additionally, this staff can be used as a quarterstaff. *'Ring of Spell Storing: 'Alayne wears on her person a powerful ring that contains certain spells she has charged within it. These spells can be used in addition to the spells she can cast normally in a day. Personal Effects *'Benfry's Ring: 'A signet ring bearing the sigil of his house, Alayne wears Benfry's former ring as proof of their betrothal. In addition to its sentimental value to her, it also acts as a shielf, protecting her from harm. *'Signet Ring: Alayne also bears on her person a signet ring, bearing the sigil of her own house. Weaknesses In addition to her many powers and abilities, Alayne also posseses several weaknesses. *'Over Trusting: '''Though Alayne's trusting nature and optimistic spirit are easily some of her strongest traits, they can also sometimes serve to be her weakness. Due to Alayne's propensity for seeing the best in people, she will sometimes miss the telling signs of when someone ought not to be trusted. *'Sheltered:' Due to having lived her life behind the confines of the walls of Castle Greywatch, Alayne is not experienced in the ways of the world and can sometimes get in over her head. *'Unobservent: 'Alayne is also a naturally unobservent person who often walks around with her head in the clouds, often leading her to miss crucial details and important signs. Notes *Alayne is the second PC in the ''Chronciles of Athas. Trivia *Alayne's favorite color is blue. *Her favorite gems are saphires. *Alayne is one of the tallest characters in the group, standing shorter only to Heinrik, Tarly and the Knight. *Her favorite mythological animals are Unicorns followed closely by Mermaids and Phoenixes. *Alayne's favorite song is "When You Wish Upon a Star" *Her favorite flowers are roses, an extremely rare flower in her homeland. *Though Alayne loves all living creatures, she has made an exception for spiders and is deadly afraid of them. *Alayne's name means "Brightness" Category:PC Category:Humans Category:Cleric Category:Church of Ehlonna Category:Rikeans Category:Nobility Category:Alayne's Campaign Category:Alayne's Company Category:Good Characters Category:Heroes Category:Female Characters Category:Characters from the Material Plane Category:Lawful Good Characters Category:House Grey Category:Native of the Material Plane Category:Alayne's Party